William C. ‘Bill’ Williamson was born and raised in New Waterford and became a driving force behind the success of our community’s baseball teams. Bill began his coaching career in 1953 coaching various Little League teams for eight years and during this time he played a pivotal role in nurturing the talent of young baseball players in New Waterford. In the late 1950’s Bill also opened the first outdoor rink in Scotchtown which he successfully operated for several years. The next step in his coaching career was with the New Waterford Red Devils as he coached them from 1963 to 1966 before moving on to the Scotchtown Ten Pennies, who later became the Scotchtown Raiders. It was during his time with the Raiders that Bill became one of the most successful baseball coaches in our town’s history. The Raiders began an eight year dynasty run in the Intermediate ‘A’ Fastball league in 1967.With Bill at the helm providing consistent coaching and leadership the team was a virtual force to be reckoned with over those 8 years.From 1966 to 1975, Bill coached the Raiders to 5 Cape Breton ‘A’ Championships, 4 Nova Scotia ‘A’ provincial titles and three Maritime ‘A’ titles. Bill also coached midget fastball for 2 years and was the head of the Scotchtown Aces in the County Fastball League.In 1976 Bill’s love of baseball saw him return to coaching Little League teams once again and also to become involved in the Little League Umpiring system. Bill has been a member of the Scotchtown Fire Department for over 59 years, serving as Fire Chief for 31 of those years.He was married to his wife Betty for 60 years and together they had 9 children.Today, Bill enjoys spending time with his 17 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.

It was with great honor that the Coal Bowl Board of Directors names William C. ‘Bill’ Williamson as a 2015 Coal Bowl Division Chair to commend him for his over 30 years of dedication to baseball in New Waterford.

Frank Bursey Division Chair

Frank Bursey

Frank Bursey has played a very influential part in the development of athletes, sports teams, and programs in New Waterford. Frank grew up playing New Waterford minor baseball and was a member of the BEC soccer team for his entire high school career. He was an honoree at last year’s Coal Bowl as a member of the BEC 1975 provincial championship soccer team. His true passion though was in coaching and contributing to the growth of athletic programs in New Waterford.

As a baseball coach, Frank coached minor baseball teams in New Waterford for over 15 years. During that time his teams took home 5 provincial titles at the Mosquito and Peewee levels. He also coached AAA Junior baseball in Glace Bay and this team won the Nova Scotia Atlantic championships in 2004 and went on to represent Nova Scotia in Quebec at the Canadian Championships. His efforts with baseball extended beyond the field though as he served on the New Waterford Minor Baseball Board of Directors Executive for over 15 years and he was the provincial coordinator for the Slow Pitch Nationals program for 10 years. Frank has served on the New Waterford Minor Hockey Board of Directors Executive and the Board of Directors of the New Waterford District Community Centre. He has coached minor hockey at the Atom and Pewee levels and has been very involved in the basketball community. He coached Common School basketball at the elementary level for 15 years and moved on to coach both junior and senior high basketball teams at BEC as well. He was also the Vice President and Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from 1998-2002. All of Frank’s hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed and he has been recognized on numerous occasions for his commitment to youth sports in our community. In 1998 he was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year by New Waterford Community Press as selected by the people of New Waterford and was the runner-upfor the Cape Breton Sport Heritage Award for Acknowledging Excellence in Island Athletics Executive of the Year. He received the Minor Basketball Appreciation Award in 2000. In 2001 he was the recipient of the Anne Holland Memorial Award in recognition of an Outstanding Community Volunteer and the Investors Group – Community Sport Hero Award – in recognition of outstanding contribution to the development of amateur sport in Nova Scotia. Frank is still involved in the sports community as he is on the Board of Directors for the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame.

Throughout all of his time as a coach and member of a number of different sport groups and organizations Frank was able to be involved with his children’s sports teams. His 3 children, Kyle, Brett, and Lacey, were all student athletes at Breton Education Centre and they were involved with New Waterford minor baseball as well as minor hockey programs. The Coal Bowl Board of Directors is very pleased to name Frank Bursey, a true advocate for youth sports in our community, as a 2015 Coal Bowl Division Chair.